The deaths of two tigresses at the Alipore zoo within 24 hours were due to natural causes, a senior forest official said on Friday.
“One was 17, the other was 20. Both died of natural causes,” said the official. The post-mortems have been conducted and viscera samples collected for further tests.
The samples will be examined at the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Belgachia.
A retired veterinarian said reports usually take between 72 hours and 10 days, depending on the type of sample tested.
Payal, who would have turned 17 next month, died on Tuesday. Rupa, a 20-year-old albino tigress, passed away the next day. Both had been unwell for some time.
“Inbreeding is a major problem in white tigers, as it’s the only way to consistently produce the white coat, which is the result of a rare gene. But the intense inbreeding often leads to serious genetic abnormalities and health problems,” said the forest official. Rupa was diagnosed with multiple such conditions.
Rupa was born at the zoo on March 4, 2005, to albino tiger Anirban and tigress Krishna. She and her brother Vishal were the last tigers born at the zoo. Payal was born in October 2008 and came to Alipore from Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoo on February 20, 2016.
The post-mortems were carried out by a three-member veterinary team and videographed. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the zoo must submit the post-mortem report to the Central Zoo Authority, as tigers are listed under Schedule I of the Act.
Repeated calls and messages to the zoo director on Friday went unanswered.